Minimizing Ambulatory Setting Pediatric Healthcare-Induced Anxiety: A Case Review - Abstract
It is no longer a rare phenomenon for pediatric patients to experience moderate to
high levels of emotional distress, including anxiety, during preventive care office visits
with healthcare providers. This distress can be attributed to multiple factors, including
being in an unfamiliar setting with unknown people, and unclear expectations. Further
compounding the anguish, children are often aware of the potential for, or likelihood
of, physical discomfort, or pain during the office visit. These combined variables often
result in unwelcome behavioral demonstrations of protest to healthcare workers and
the child’s caregivers. Some children may scream, cry, pinch, bite, hit, or even refuse
to engage in the examination or procedure. When these behavioral protests impede
necessary care, expedient interventions must be considered. The following case
review aims to demonstrate that attuning to a child’s emotional needs and providing
developmentally appropriate power and control during an outpatient office visit in a
healthcare setting, can aid in offering emotional safety and reduce the potential for
long-term psychological harm.